PROJECTS

If AWIC did not develop strong community partnerships in education, industry and regional community services the research we conduct would not be as relevant and as accurate in order to be able to develop an effective and viable workforce. These relationships enable us to conduct research, publish our findings, and execute community consultations and events.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

Each year we undertake a minimum of four partnership projects that are intended to act on high priority labour market issues identified at the regional community consultation meetings. We work on these priorities in collaboration with partners from among our stakeholders who have identified a need to address the specific labour market issue.

Here are some of AWIC’s current partnerships projects. Past partnership project can be found here.

2018-2019 PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS

SECTOR DAYS IN ALGOMA

Manufacturing Day was a successful project in 2017. It provided an opportunity for students and teachers to leave the classroom to learn about local manufacturing in Algoma by touring local employers across the region. The same concept was expanded to other sectors (such as health care) in 2017-18.

It is important that AWIC continues to promote and connect students to local opportunities within their communities. This will allow students to get a better understanding of their local labour markets and expose them to education and career choices that they may not have considered.

ALGOMA EMPLOYER WORKSHOPS

Employers are facing more and more labour market related challenges when it comes to finding and retaining staff. AWIC would hold 3 Employer workshops around the region to address current work force topics such as employee attraction and retention, generational differences in the workplace and the importance of succession planning in the face of a changing labour market. The workshops would also focus on the wide-range of HR services, training, wage subsidies and incentives that are available to them from local service providers (as listed in AWIC’s Dollars and Sense Guide).

As indicated in our EmployerOne survey results, employers face challenges in finding qualified staff to hire. Therefore, it is important for employers to create an environment where they can retain and develop their existing employees.

ATTRACTION, RETENTION & ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN ALGOMA

Given the demographic realitites of the communitites in the region, attraction and retention strategies are key areas of interest for community stakeholders. In 2018/19 AWIC would undertake documenting and reviewing of the existing strategies across the region in order to identify opportunities for AWIC to support existing programs or the creation of new ones. AWIC would then develop community-specific materials and content to support attraction and retention strategies in the region.

The Algoma region will see more people leaving the workforce in the coming years then there will be people available to replace them. All communities in the region need to be focused on first retaining people in their communities, especially younger members and attracting newcomers through migration and immigration.

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING & CONSTRUCTION

Similar to our Focus on Healthcare project, the Focus on Manufacturing and Construction would see AWIC focus specifically on the Manufacturing and Construction sectors to determine workforce demand and issues. By taking a focused approach on the sectors, we should see an increase in the understanding of workforce challenges and opportunities in these sectors and develop solutions and partnerships to address identified labour market issues.

Skilled labour and trades are in constant demand and that demand will continue to grow as the skilled workforce ages.

2017-2018 PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS

EMPLOYERONE SURVEY

This employerone survey will provide community stakeholders in Algoma valuable insights into the demand-side of the region’s labour market. It is designed to collect information from local employers on a range of labour issues, such as labour turnover, hard-to-fill positions, recruitment difficulties, current and future skill shortages, as well as any issues in training and education practices.

Localized labour demand information captured in the Employerone Survey will be shared widely and incorporated into AWIC's reports (such as the 2016 LLMP Report) and presentations. The information will be used in such a way as to highlight the jobs and skills that are in demand across the region and in different sectors. This should influence individuals looking for work and training curriculum.

HEALTH CARE IN ALGOMA

The objective of this project through consultation was to identify labour market requirements provided during the interview process by key stakeholders of the Health Care industry in this area. Then working with stakeholders to develop and implement a strategy with priorities and actions that will address the anticipated growth and demand for key positions that are growing within the Health Care sector.

This project helps AWIC better understand current and future labour market needs of the entire Health Care sector in Algoma. From an employer perspective, the project would identify workforce priorities and realistic action steps that could be implemented across the region. These actions would address the future human resources needs in the healthcare sector and determine which community stakeholders should be involved in which actions.

STUDENT FOCUSED LMI

Develop an effective communication strategy to integrate local Labour Market Information into grade 7, 8, 9 and 10 curriculums. These years have been identified as the most important to focus on as students begin their Individual Pathways Plans (IPP) in myBlueprint in grade 7 & 8 and grade 10 and include Civic/Careers classes.

The project would look for feedback directly from students on the kind of information they require and the best ways to deliver the content (apps, infographics etc.)

MANUFACTURING DAY (MFG DAY) IN ALGOMA

MFG DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t. By working together during and after MFG DAY, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labour shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

2016-2017 PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS

EMPLOYERONE SURVEY Current and accurate, local labour market information is key to making evidence-based decisions in our Local Board area. Information gathered from surveys would provide community stakeholders in Algoma valuable insights into the demand-side of the region’s labour market. It is designed to collect information from local employers on a range of labour issues, such as labour turnover, hard-to-fill positions, recruitment difficulties, current and future skill shortages, as well as any issues in training and education practices.

REGIONAL TASK FORCES Algoma is a very large district geographically and has distinct economies and labour markets throughout the region. As such most planning is done with adjoining communities in each of the regions – Superior East, Central Algoma and Algoma East. Regional Task Forces would allow AWIC to be fully integrated at the local level. By creating three Regional Task Forces that meet on a regular basis, there will be improved communication and coordination of projects and programs related to workforce development within each region and across the district.

HUB OF REGIONAL LABOUR MARKET RESOURCES AWIC would continue to develop and update the data it collects – while looking for ways to increase its audience and usage. AWIC will take an inventory of existing data and data products it produces, do a needs assessment of the Labour Market Information required and then align AWIC’s data delivery with audiences' needs and promote the information to the appropriate users (students, teachers, municipalities, job counsellors, etc.).

COORDINATING DEMAND WITH SUPPLY While unemployment remains fairly high in Algoma, some sectors and regions struggle to find employees. Often this is a case that job seekers are unaware of the benefits of working in a particular occupation or sector. This project would look to promote these underserved sectors and occupations with informational and promotional materials. A “tool kit” would be assembled and distributed to job seekers and would provide high level information on the industry in order to prepare for a career.

AWIC SPONSORSHIP FUND

In 2012, AWIC introduced a sponsorship program to support non- profit organizations that hold events and activities that will have a positive effect on workforce development within the Algoma District.

Sponsorships are limited to a maximum of $1000.00 and the number of sponsorships granted is limited by the amount of the overall sponsorship fund. Therefore, sporsorships will be evaluated on a first come, first serve basis for the year 2018-2019.